Cardi B - Am I The Drama?
Cardi B
Am I The Drama?
Release Date: September 19th, 2025
Label: Atlantic Records
In 2018, Cardi B released Invasion of Privacy, a debut album that took the world of hip-hop (and pop) by storm. Blending genres and creating a sound that, while taking influence from modern hip-hop, had a style all its own, Invasion of Privacy skyrocketed to the top of the Billboard charts. Its two singles, “Bodak Yellow” and “I Like It”, were eventually certified diamond. Then, life happened.
In the time between the release of Invasion of Privacy and her new album, Am I The Drama?, Cardi B has been married, separated, had three kids, been at the center of multiple controversies, released two of the biggest songs of her career, and won two defamation lawsuits. She’s lived a lot of life, and she’s here to talk about it on Am I The Drama?, a sprawling sophomore album that is anything but a slump. While it runs a bit long, clocking in at over an hour, the songs are good, Cardi’s delivery and rap flow are excellent, and there are some memorable moments here.
Throughout a majority of the album, Cardi B is confident and assertive in who she is. Songs like “Hello”, “Magnet”, “Imaginary Playerz”, and “Salute” showcase this; her lyrics are delivered with a mixture of venom and honey. “Bodega Baddie” is one of the most unique songs on Drama; it is the shortest track, clocking in just under two minutes, mixing pulsing 808s against a Latin merengue beat. It shows her personality and exactly why she has staying power in pop music.
Halfway through Drama, the songs become far more somber, and you can’t help but stop what you’re doing and pay attention. Her highly publicized on/off again relationship with rapper Offset is addressed on “Man Of Your Word”, with Cardi trading off confessional lines against Dougie F (playing the role of the ex-lover), lamenting how sorry he is over an Auto-Tuned verse contrasted against a gentle Caribbean steel drum sample. Lizzo shows up to deliver a powerful chorus on “What’s Goin On”, a song that finds Cardi fighting through her deceit over the iconic melody from the 4 Non Blondes song of the same name.
Just a few songs later, Cardi delivers a one-two punch diss track titled “Pretty & Petty”, a long-awaited rebuttal in her ongoing battle with rapper Bia, before leading into “On My Back”, a sultry R&B jam that is as serious about being in love as it is about fucking. Lourdiz’s guest chorus line is excellently placed against a hypnotic synth-infused beat. From this point forward, the album starts to run a bit long, but songs like “ErrTime”, “Principal”, and “Trophies” keep the party-like momentum moving forward.
The album is “technically” over with the song “Killin Your Hoes”, as the last two songs on the album were previously released tracks, but Cardi B wanted to give them a home on an official record release, so we leave with the upbeat and alliterative verses in “Up” and “WAP”, a song that’s about…well, I won’t ruin the surprise for you if you haven’t heard it already.
Despite a lengthy runtime, there is a healthy mix of introspective and extroverted moments on Am I The Drama? If anything, Cardi B has proven that she has staying power with an album like this, mixing sultry and sweet with fatal and venomous.
